CLEVELAND, Tenn.-Unbeaten Young Harris College (7-0) came roaring back from a 7-7 deadlock to post two runs in the top of the ninth inning and hand host Lee University a 9-7 defeat on Tuesday afternoon at Larry Carpenter Stadium.

The loss dropped the Flames to 5-3 on the year and they will move onto Rome, Georgia on Friday and Saturday to open GSC play against unbeaten Shorter University. Friday's single game is slated for a 12 noon first pitch and Saturday's doubleheader will also begin at noon.

The Mountain Lions outhit the Flames 13-6, but Lee did a good job of holding back the hard-hitting visitors until the sixth and seventh innings when they put three runs on the board in each inning to grab a 7-2 lead after 6 ½ innings of play.

Number-nine hitter James Basham did his share of the damage for the Mountain Lions the entire afternoon. He finished the day with a double and two singles while driving in three runs and scoring twice. It was the sure-handed shortstop who delivered a key RBI one-base hit in the ninth inning that helped push the Mountain Lions over the top.

Drew Bray also collected three hits. He drove in a run and scored once. Margo Colina joined the three-hit performances. His three one-base knocks included an RBI and a run scored. Jackson Kemp doubled, scored a run, was hit by a pitch and tallied one more big run in the top of the ninth.

The Flames used five pitchers in defeat. Frankie Volkers got the start. After a shaky first inning in which he faced seven batters and walked three, Volkers escaped while allowing only one run. All totaled he came back to give Lee four quality innings, allowing three hits, three walks, two strikeouts and one earned run.

Zachary Lawson (1.1 innings) and Tim Gooden (1 inning) followed. Lawson surrendered three earned runs and Gooden one. Hunter Lane (1.2 innings) allowed one hit and one earned run and was targeted with the loss. Ty Cobb came on in the ninth, surrendered two hits and allowed one earned run.

Luke Collier scored two runs, but his highlight was a two-run homer over the left-field wall in the bottom of the eighth inning that scored Brock Sisson and tied the game at 7.

Josiah Miller blasted his second homerun of the year to put Lee on top for the only time in the contest at 2-1 in the fourth inning. The Flames sent seven batters to the dish in the seventh inning and made it a 7-5 game. JJ Williams came on for a pinch-hit single and Sisson followed with another one-base hit. Ashton Simmons stroked a double down the left-field line that scored Williams.

Collier walked to load the bases and the Mountain Lions went to the bullpen and called on reliever Dylan Beck. He immediately walked two straight Lee batters forcing in a pair of runs, giving RBIs to Dylan Standifer and Cam Suto. However, the damage ended with three runners left on base after a strikeout and a pair of ground-outs to end the four-run inning.

It was Collier's turn to play the role of hero in the bottom of the eighth inning. Sisson got things started with a walk. The Lee bench and the crowd exploded with excitement when Collier, not one of the larger players on the diamond, sent his two-run shot out of the park to tie the game.

The Mountain Lions used three hurlers. Ryan Cross got the start and limited Lee to one hit over five innings. He did walk four batters and gave up two earned runs while fanning seven batters. All totaled the Flames sent 11 batters down swinging.

Lefty Ryan Heishman was called on for an inning. He got into trouble when he allowed three hits, walked three and gave up three earned runs. After a slow start and three walks, Beck settled down. Over three innings, the right-hander allowed two hits, two earned runs, walked three and struck out three in getting credit for his second win of the year.

Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:

"It was a quality game and we fought back against a really good Young Harris team. I thought Volkers settled in and gave us a quality start, but they got the big inning twice in a row in the 6th and 7th and we couldn't get that big shut-down inning late.

"It will be another tough series this weekend as we head on the road to Shorter. We are working to get our offense more consistent and get our pitching staff to piece together a quality game from start to finish."